New ferry shuttle picks up in popularity

A bus dubbed "The Wave" arrives at the ferry terminal on Tuesday morning, Sept. 3, 2013, in Larkspur, Calif. The new shuttle delivers people from the Ross Valley to the Larkspur Ferry Terminal. (Frankie Frost/Marin Independent Journal)
Frankie Frost

After about two weeks of service, a shuttle taking people from the Ross Valley to the Larkspur Ferry Terminal is building, like a wave.

When the service — dubbed the "The Wave" — debuted Sept. 3, riders were hard to spot on the service. But as word has spread, ridership has picked up.

"The ridership is growing, especially in the afternoon," said Mary Currie, transit spokeswoman.

The first day of service saw 51 riders and some empty morning shuttles. But the riders have come more by the day and this past Thursday 89 people used the shuttles. The shuttle has five runs between 6:35 a.m. and 8:20 a.m. from downtown Fairfax. The shuttle returns to Fairfax from the Larkspur terminal for the afternoon commute. Six trips are scheduled between 4:05 p.m. and 6:55 p.m.

"We are hearing from passengers about what works and what doesn't," Currie said, adding there may be some tweaks to the service after six weeks.

The Wave — designated as Route 25 — is free for Larkspur ferry customers and is designed to free up space in the crowded terminal parking lot. All other passengers are subject to local fares. The shuttle is a pilot project and will last through June 2014, when it will be assessed.

While prior shuttle service never caught on, ferry riders are likely to have an incentive to ride the shuttles in early 2014. That's when ferry officials are planning to begin charging between $2 and $5 to park at the terminal. Public hearings on the plan will be held later this year.